Expansion of Hubli Airport: over 155 houses to be acquired

Expansion of Hubli Airport: over 155 houses to be acquired
The Hindu - Staff Correspondent

Residents express grievances at a meeting held on the project
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# Survey of residential area around the airport almost over
# Residents asked to submit a memorandum with their complaints
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HUBLI: Over 155 houses situated near the Hubli airport will be acquired for the proposed expansion of the airport, Deputy Commissioner M.S. Srikar has said.

He was addressing a meeting of residents, whose houses have been identified for acquisition for the proposed project, here on Wednesday. The ground survey of the residential area around the airport is likely to be completed in a few days.

The Deputy Commissioner explained to the residents the need for the expansion in order to transform the Hubli airport into an all-weather airport with the capacity to handle bigger aircraft.

Mr. Srikar explained to them the need for the acquisition, methodology of the survey, criteria for identification of the houses to be acquired and the process of giving compensation and so on.

The residents of Omkar Nagar, Saraswatipur, Kumar Park, Radhakrishna Nagar and Mandar Park used the meeting to express their apprehensions regarding the project and inconveniences they are likely to experience once the project is implemented.

They wanted to know whether the water and electricity supply services would be affected, whether they would be forced to use an alternative route to reach neighbouring areas and so on.

The Deputy Commissioner told them that the meeting was the second in a series of meetings to be held with residents and other stakeholders with regard to the airport expansion.

Once the survey was completed, a notification would be issued with the list of houses and plots to be acquired for the expansion. The district administration would then hold direct interaction with the owners of the plots and the houses regarding acquisition and giving compensation, he explained.

Committee


Mr. Srikar asked the residents to form a ten-member committee and submit a memorandum stating their grievances, apprehensions, possible problems and related issues.

He also clarified that the term of the six-member committee that was formed to take part in the survey would be over with the completion of the survey.

He also appealed to the residents not to get carried away by false assurances of middlemen and to contact the district administration directly with regard to any issue related to the acquisition.

Hubli tahsildar S.S. Nagathana, officials of the Revenue Department and Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board were present.